It was the €94 million question. Where is Ronaldo?
Real Madrid fans at the arrivals area at Dublin Airport tonight were hoping to catch sight of the world’s most expensive soccer player.
It was the dedicated few that spent hours waiting to greet the team as they arrived in Ireland yesterday ahead of their meeting with Shamrock Rovers on July 20th.
“Do you know where they are? Have they landed yet? Are they coming through the arrivals area?” they asked attending journalists.
A ripple of applause startled the fans into action. But as it turned out the cheers were for returning athlete Ciara Mageean (17) of Lisburn AC who’d won silver medal in the Worth Youth Championships in Italy.
David Reilly (26), Paul Wilkons (27) and Andy Morrisey (23) had partied all weekend at Oxegen but still found the energy to arrive six hours early for their flight back to London in an attempt to see the Real Galácticos.
So why would you voluntarily spend an extra six hours of your life in an airport?
“It’s the royal family of football,” Mr Reilly enthuses. “They have the best players money can buy – they’re the best team in the world.”
Jarek Cienkusz (29) from Lublin in Poland paid €250 for two tickets to the Shamrock Rovers match.
Is it worth it? “For Real Madrid? Of course!”
Nacho Brea (23) from Almeria in Spain has supported Real Madrid from the age of seven. He has his own theories as to why the Spanish club attracts so many international admirers.
“These players, they move the crowd everywhere they go. It’s a piece of history. When you hear football you think Liverpool, Milan...Real Madrid.”
Michael Pawlowski (24) from Choszczno in Poland laughs heartily when asked what Shamrock Rover’s chances are in next week’s game before composing himself.
“They still have a chance. Anything could happen.”
Well, anything except catching sight of the Real Madrid team in Dublin airport.